


He's Taken

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Drama, Friendship, Hogwarts Era, Love/Hate, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: From Diagon Alley to Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-04
Updated: 2006-08-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 15:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10811466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: I fancied, flirted with, and dated Ron Weasley. He was taken... just not by me.





	He's Taken

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes:

_This story is for **belovedranger** , who replying to an LJ entry said: “I wish anyone would write fics from Lavender Brown's POV.” Here it is my friend, for you._

* * *

“Would you stop that?” Parvati asks, giving me an exasperated look.

I give her an apologetic smile and restrain myself from tapping my nails against the book sitting on my lap. I know it’s an annoying habit, but I can’t help it. I’ve been stood up… again. 

Ron was supposed to meet me here over twenty minutes ago. I told him so this morning at breakfast, and he did nod his head, agreeing. So, why isn’t he here? What pathetic excuse is he going to come up with this time? 

I’m not the type of girl who waits around for her boyfriend - not after she’s been stood up countless times – so why am I still here? Why can’t I be the one to give him the cold shoulder for once? There are plenty of other blokes out there who’d be willing to keep me company. More than willing, I’m sure.

I let my head fall back against the chair in resignation. “Why did I ever fall for Ron?” I groan out loud.

Parvati shrugs her shoulders and rolls her eyes. We’ve discussed this matter so many times, I’m sure she’s tired of it. I don’t expect her or anyone else to have the answer. I don’t even know myself. All I know is that when I saw him again after the summer break, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. 

It was as if I was seeing Ron for the first time, and I was instantly fascinated with him. Everything about Ron I found irresistible: his sexy grin, those deep blue eyes, his sarcastic sense of humor, and the simple way he carries himself. But who can blame me? Nobody can resist tall blokes, especially if they look like Ron!

I scrunch up my shoulders and frown across the room, remembering how determined I was to get him to notice me. Why did I even bother with him?

From the very beginning, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task; he was always hanging around Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. But, of course, that bushy-haired, rule-obsessed friend of his wasn’t going to be a match for me. After all, I am the pretty, fun, and flirtatious one. Everyone knows that. She, on the other hand, is the plain, boring, and bookish one. 

And yes, I won. All it took was some shameless flirting and plenty of encouraging smiles, and Ron Weasley became _my_ boyfriend.

I let out a hollow laugh and wince at what I know now was only a temporary victory. Yes, he became _my_ boyfriend, but even on the very first night we got together, _she_ affected him more deeply than I ever have. I let out a sad sigh. No, I’m not going to cry over him… not tonight, not again.

Why was I so blind? Why didn’t I see it or sense it? I slap my forehead and think back to that day when he came up to me after a Quidditch win. He wanted to celebrate, needed to celebrate. I, of course, jumped at the chance. He gave me that sexy grin that I so love, and that was it – the perfect opportunity to make my move. 

I took a chance and boldly stepped up to press my slightly parted lips against his, invitingly. He froze for a second, but soon responded by putting his arms around me, pressing me closer to his body, and moving his lips against mine. Not expertly - it was really rather sloppy - but enthusiastically. Just the way I wanted it. But then, suddenly, he pulled away, and I saw him looking around the common room, slightly ashamed and blushing furiously.

I’m stubborn, and I was unwavering; I had to keep Ron interested in _me_. So I pulled on his hand, jerking his body toward me again. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it in the process. Then, tentatively, he suggested we find a quieter place to get to know each other better.

I shake my head and bite my lip as the images of that day come flooding back as clear as if it had happened this very morning. 

As soon as he suggested going off somewhere, I beamed and giggled excitedly at the possibility of having Ron Weasley all to myself. Instead of sounding too eager by giving him a definite “yes,” I gave him a coy smile, squeezed his hand, and gestured toward the portrait hole with a slight nod of my head. He looked around the common room once more, shrugged his shoulders, and then led the way. 

I was flirting, smiling, and enjoying the stroll through the castle’s halls until we entered the Transfiguration classroom and found _her_. His expression changed instantly. Gone was the sexy smile; he became flustered and speechless. I don’t know exactly what happened in there, because I waited outside. It didn’t take long for Hermione to stalk out of the room. When I went back in, Ron was angrily fighting off a flock of canaries that were attacking his face.

I wanted to help him but couldn’t remember the proper spell fast enough. Fortunately, Harry put an end to the canary attack by murmuring, “ _Evanesco_.” The birds disappeared and Harry left soon after, giving Ron an incredulous look. 

Ron kept swearing under his breath and murmuring things like, “All her fault,” “She asked for it,” and, “I don’t have to explain myself to her.” I chose to ignore them all. Instead, I showed him what a good girlfriend I could be. Very gently, I tried to heal the scratches on his face, and in the process, I left a trail of kisses all over his face. 

He never complained; in fact he seemed to enjoy it – and that’s what my heart chose to see. I felt giddy with happiness. I was making him happy and taking care of him, not those so-called best friends of his. Unfortunately, that happiness that I felt back then was short-lived.

I get up and start pacing up and down the common room. I’m shuddering slightly. Maybe it’s my talent for Divination, I don’t know, but I have this irksome feeling that soon my heart will be ripped in half. The little foreboding hints are piling up, and it’s getting difficult to deny them.

Lately, Ron hasn’t done anything a good boyfriend should do. He barely acknowledges that I exist! Unless we’re snogging, of course - and that’s all we do. It’s the simplest way to keep his focus on me. It’s not that I mind, but I want something more. 

I never know what he’s up to. I sometimes even get the feeling that he’s hiding from me. And even when we’re together, he’s always distracted, thinking of something or _someone_ else. 

I start to play with the ends of my hair in frustration. Damn him! Why does he have this power over me? Why can’t I think of anything but him? It’s not fair, since clearly he isn’t thinking about me.

I feel Parvati move next to me as she puts her arm around my shoulders comfortingly. She knows me so well and has put up with so much of my lamenting recently. What would I do without her?

“Lav, look at what he’s done to you. You’re going mental over him, and he isn’t worth it.”

I look at her and give her a forced smile. It’s not her fault, but part of me is bitter that my best friend can’t totally understand me. Parvati hasn’t fallen in love yet; she really doesn’t know how mental it can make you. She doesn’t know how love can make you act all silly, how clingy you become to safeguard what’s yours, and how no matter what he’s always “worth it” – for the simple reason that you love him.

“C’mon, let’s sit by the window. I’ve got to tell you all about Terry Boot!” I follow her grudgingly. I know she wants to distract me, but I’m in no mood to hear how wonderful her new crush is, not when Ron has been acting like a first class git. I easily tune her out as I think back to our first weeks together. I was such a gullible fool!

When we first got together, I naturally wanted to spend all my time with _my_ boyfriend. Well, I still do, but Ron doesn’t seem as interested anymore. Back then, he used to be pretty happy with all the attention I gave him. 

He enjoyed my company, the snogging sessions, and all my flirting. We went everywhere together: classes, meals; we took walks around the grounds, shared our free periods and evenings. There was never a wrong place to show everyone how into each other we were. We shared kisses everywhere: the dinning hall, the common room, and in dark corners in the halls. I loved it! He was totally into me, and everyone could see it.

It was all perfect – wrong! It really wasn’t, but I only started to notice after the Christmas break.

I remember going home for Christmas thrilled about falling in love with Ron Weasley. He was my first boyfriend, and what a great catch he was! I wanted to show him what he meant to me. With that in mind, I set out to find him the perfect gift. During one of my many shopping trips, I found it: a “My Sweetheart” necklace. That would certainly tell him how much I cared. And, well, it would also serve to remind any girl who might be interested in him that he was taken. Yes, that’s right, it was meant to keep girls away. Namely, that Hermione Granger.

Sadly, after the Christmas break, Ron wasn’t wearing the necklace; he didn’t even mention liking my gift. When I asked him about it, he gave me some lame excuse about how things around his neck could give him a rash – yeah right! I didn’t buy it, but I let it go. And that was it, the first sign that something had changed between us.

It was as if during the break Ron had had a change of heart. But I wasn’t willing to lose my boyfriend so easily. So I went out of my way to spend more time with him, to be a sweet, loving girlfriend. I held his hand all the time, kissed him every chance I got, and I started calling him pet names, like “Won Won”. I wince at the sound of it. I just realized how cheesy that name sounds. No wonder Ron cringes every time he hears me calling him that. 

“Are you listening to me?” Parvati asks me skeptically.

“I’m sorry, Parvati,” I say sincerely. “It’s just that-” 

She waves hand to interrupt my explanation. “Don’t. Talking about Terry wasn’t the best way to cheer you up, was it?”

My lips twitch up to form a small smile. Parvati really does know me.

“Well then, I’ll just have to find something else to cheer you up with.”

I don’t want to insult her friendly efforts by telling her that nothing is going to cheer me up today. Instead, I nod my head as she starts babbling about some new article she read in _Teen Witch_.

I pull up my legs and hug them against my chest. Why do my memories insist on coming back, forcing me to face reality? I would much rather be listening to Parvati talk about the new fashion trends, but no, all I can think of is how Ron changed after the Christmas break. 

We might still be together, but he’s always secretly stealing glances at Hermione. He doesn’t think I notice, but I do. With every glance he throws her way, my heart breaks a little.

It’s like he’s no longer angry or resentful toward her for the brutal canary attack or her constant insults. I have never had anything against Hermione. She’s the smartest witch of our year, she has two handsome blokes as her best friends, and she has always seemed pretty sure of herself. All that I can take, but now it’s so easy to hate her, especially when _my_ boyfriend focuses more on _her_ than on _me_. It’s all _her_ fault! No, it’s not really; it’s just easy to blame _her_.

Up until Ron’s accidental poisoning, _she_ wasn’t even talking to him. She did a pretty good job of ignoring him, and yet I know how Ron desperately wanted _her_ to talk to him again. I knew it, but I pushed it aside. 

I very much needed to believe that I could still get Ron interested in me again. I could capture his full attention, couldn’t I? If I had done it once, I could do it again. So, I practically attached myself to him, forcing him to spend more time with me than with anyone else, especially Harry. Harry is good friends with Hermione, and I couldn’t let him influence Ron and have those two become close friends again.

What I never counted on was the strong bond of their friendship. It’s unbreakable. Ron, Harry, and Hermione can argue, fight with other, stop talking, but they’ll never stop being friends or caring for each other. The power of their friendship is strong enough to forget any past resentment, and that was proven when Ron was poisoned.

After three months of ignoring him, Hermione was at his side as soon as she was told of Ron’s poisoning. It was as if her anger toward him disappeared when she heard that his life was in danger. With _her_ at his side, nobody even thought to tell _me_ , his girlfriend,about the incident _._

It happened on his seventeenth birthday. I had prepared a surprise romantic celebration just for the two of us. I was waiting for him to come down from his room to give him a birthday kiss, but he brushed me off with some nonsense about Romilda Vane. I was crushed, angry, and prepared to ignore him for the rest of the day.

It wasn’t until the next day that the rumor of his poisoning got around to me. That’s how I found out, from some girl in Ravenclaw. Someone should have told me, I was the girlfriend! I’m the one who was supposed to be at his bedside, not _her_. 

I did go and visit him countless times, but every time I went he was asleep. I didn’t have a chance to comfort him, to take care of him, or just to keep him company. And after he left the hospital wing a week later, there was an even bigger change in him.

Ron no longer wanted to share his meals with me, he no longer wanted to study or do homework together. It was as if I was forcing him to spend time with me. What kind of boyfriend doesn’t want to spend time with his girlfriend? 

He’s the one who’s supposed to suggest sneaking around to have some alone time together, not the other way around. I have even questioned him about his indifference, but he’s never willing to talk about his feelings or his commitment to our relationship. It makes me feel so frustrated. What else does he want from me? I’m doing all the work in this relationship and it’s not fair!

It hurts, it really does. As much as I hate to admit it, Ron wants _nothing_ from me. And I want to give him all that I have. More importantly, I want him to want what I give him – to want me. That’s not so much to ask, is it? I let out a quiet sob and quickly put a hand over my mouth to try to stifle more sounds from coming out. It’s no use. Ron’s indifference, his total lack of interest, always makes me cry.

Not long ago, I used my Gryffindor courage and told him, “I love you.” He looked at me, terrified, and refused to say anything. My eyes pleaded with him to say it back, but before I knew it, he fled and left me there alone, my pride stepped on. It was so humiliating! I had given him my heart; why wasn’t that enough for Ron? 

I shut my eyes to fight hard against the tears that are threatening to spill. No! I won’t cry. Parvati is right, he isn’t worth it… but he is. Gods, I’m such a contradiction. 

Parvati has stopped talking. She’s now stroking my hair gently. She understands that I don’t mean to ignore her; today is just not the best day to discuss the new fashion trend in dress robes.

Many people think that I’m stupid, that I don’t see what’s right in front of my eyes. But I’m not stupid - I’m in love. I see what all the others see, but I prefer to ignore it. 

On the surface, Ron and Hermione are friends, but underneath, hidden from them, there is so much more between them. I can’t name it, but it’s something powerful, strong, and one day it’s going to come out and change their lives forever. But when I see the way they look at each other, something in the pit of my stomach aches.

I have been naïve thinking that Ron was really interested in me. That he and I could have a real relationship, one with a future in it. I let out a resigned sigh. It’s never going to happen. For now, I’ve been able to hold on to him, but I know it won’t be long before he tells me that it’s over. 

Parvati holds up my chin and looks me straight in the eyes. I know she wants to tell me something but she’s afraid of how I will take it.

“You know, Lav, I really hate what dating Ron has done to you. I miss the fun, vivacious witch I know you are. I hate it that he has made you lose some of your confidence and that he makes you sad all the time. You’re too good for him. Just let him go already.” 

Her words hit too close to home. She’s right. I hate that I’m sad; I want to smile and enjoy life again.

Suddenly, I hear strong footsteps coming down the boys’ staircase. I automatically get up and turn in the hope that it’s Ron. Perhaps he didn’t stand me up after all; maybe he’s just running late. I freeze as I spot him, because _she’s_ coming down with him. I feel my cheeks burning. It’s the last straw! 

He never wanted _me_ to go up to his room with him, but she’s been there, doing who knows what. My anger wells up as I start imagining all the possibilities. That’s it! It’s over. I’m not letting him step on my dignity anymore.

“What are you doing up there with _her_?” I shriek before I can stop myself.

Ron looks scared. That’s probably because he feels guilty about something. I know he’s trying to come up with the right answer. There really is no right answer!” 

He finally finds his voice and nervously sputters, “Um… homework. That’s all.”

He must think I’m really stupid. I’m not buying his excuses this time.

“Up in your room? Ron, I’m not that stupid!”

I wait for his answer, but he says nothing. He just stands there looking highly uncomfortable, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Well, I’m not going to make it easy for him. 

“I’m waiting, Ron. I deserve an explanation!”

“There’s nothing to explain,” he says stubbornly.

“You know what, I don’t really care anymore. You and _she,_ ” I say pointing accusingly at Hermione, who’s standing next to him gaping at me, “can do whatever you want. It’s pretty obvious you two are, or want to be, more than friends. It’s over, consider yourself dumped!” I finish bitterly. 

Before my tears finally explode, I run as fast as my feet can carry me up the girls’ staircase. I need to get away from him. Parvati, as always, is right behind me. I throw myself hastily onto my bed and let out a desperate cry. I’m not stopping myself this time; all my anger and sadness needs an outlet. Finally, I can let go, freely.

I’m sixteen and brokenhearted. It hurts much more that I ever imagined, and I have a feeling it’s going to hurt for a long time. 

Is falling in love even worth it? I can say that it probably is, as long as the one you fall for isn’t already taken. The next time I fall in love, I had better make sure he’s not blindly in love with his best friend. Next time around, I’ll make sure to be the central person in his mind and in his heart.


End file.
